Project: NC 1010 (2002) Interpreting Cattle Genomic Data: Biology, Applications and Outreach
Agency: USDA CSREES
PI:Henderson, D. A.
co-PI: Rodriguez-Zas, Sandra.
Grant Number: NC1010
Goals / Objectives:
1. Determine the location, structure, function and expression of genes affecting health, reproduction, production, and product quality in cattle. 3. Develop and deliver educational materials about bovine genomics research to consumers and stakeholders. Project Methods Techniques to address Objective 1 will focus on Bayesian statistical methods with an emphasis on methods to account for multiple hypothesis testing and heterogeneous gene expression variances. Unique aspects of this research include variable selection approaches for data of high dimensionality. Rather than adjust significance levels post-analysis, these Bayesian methods account for multiple hypothesis testing by providing summaries of evidence (posterior probabilities) for the alternative in the presence of all other tests performed. Experiments aimed at identifying genes responsible for arid adaptation in beef and dairy cattle will be designed using facilities at the University of Arizona capable of providing a controlled environment simulating desert conditions. Additional effort will be expended to assist in the development of new microarrays from cDNA clones. Objective 3 will addressed by providing posters at producer meetings and assisting in the development of a consumer / producer oriented web-site.